Member News 2.17.23

raSmith is pleased to announce that Jeff Derra and Pat Hainault have been promoted to co-directors of the structural services division. Read the full press release below:

"raSmith, a multi-disciplined civil and structural engineering and surveying firm, has announced that Jeff Derra, P.E., S.E., LEED AP, and Pat Hainault, P.E., have received promotions from assistant division directors to co-directors of the structural services division. Derra and Hainault will lead the division’s 27 structural engineers, cold-formed designers, BIM specialists, and technicians. For the past four years, Derra and Hainault have served as co-leaders of raSmith’s cold-formed group of 17 engineers and designers, and they will continue to serve in this capacity. As co-directors of the structural services division, their responsibilities will include business development, project management, and employee development.

Derra has over 24 years of experience as a structural engineer and project manager, working on a variety of building types nationally. Derra recently celebrated his eighth year with raSmith. During his time with raSmith, Derra founded raSmith’s cold-formed group. Some of Derra’s projects with raSmith include Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wis.; American Family Field, Milwaukee, Wis.; Louisville VA Hospital, Louisville, Ky.; Savannah Convention Center, Savannah, Ga.; and the Northwestern Mutual Tower, Milwaukee, Wis. Derra holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Marquette University.

Hainault has more than 27 years of structural engineering experience and recently celebrated his fourth year with raSmith following the acquisition of Matsen Ford Design Associates, which significantly expanded the cold-formed group. Hainault has worked on a wide variety of building projects nationwide utilizing many different structural systems, including his specialty of cold-formed steel design. A few of Hainault’s projects with raSmith include the Rose Hotel, Chicago, Ill.; Metreau Apartments, Green Bay, Wis.; Northwestern Ryan Field House & Walter Athletics Center, Evanston, Ill.; National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, Manhattan, Kan.; World Equestrian Hotel, Ocala, Fla.; The Market Common Clarendon, Arlington, Va.; and 1122 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Ill. Hainault holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Marquette University and currently serves as chair of the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute’s Executive Committee.

About raSmith
raSmith is a multi-disciplinary engineering consultant established in the city of Brookfield, Wisconsin, in 1978. Our services are focused on our public and private sector client needs in planning, design, and construction including site planning and design, structural engineering, municipal engineering, transportation and traffic, surveying, development management, ecology, landscape architecture, LiDAR (3D laser scanning), UAS (unmanned aircraft systems), construction services, and geographic information systems (GIS). We work on projects nationwide from our seven locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, and California. The firm employs a staff of 220. For more information about raSmith, visit www.rasmith.com."